Children and HIV and AIDS

Children and HIV and AIDS

This research built on a monitoring exercise which was conducted in 2004 in four of the worst-affected countries in sub-Saharan Africa to see how far commitments were actually being realised in the lives of Africa’s orphans and vulnerable children. This was a joint advocacy project between the World Vision offices in Ethiopia, Mozambique, Uganda and Zambia, together with colleagues in the UK.

Our study found that across all four countries, orphans and vulnerable children were still the most likely to be missing out in terms of education, health, nutrition and other basic needs.

Very few were receiving appropriate psychosocial support. They were unlikely to have their births registered and many found themselves the victims of property grabbing.

Our overriding conclusions were that governments and the international community were failing to fulfill the commitments they signed up to in the UNGASS Declaration of Commitment.

The report, ‘More than Words?’, was launched in eight countries, and was used to provoke deeper and more urgent commitments at a high-level ministerial UNGASS review meeting in New York in June 2005.